by Carrie Gray, Consultant, Change & Innovation Agency (C!A®), a vimo® company
In many states, there aren’t enough spots in licensed child care facilities for all the families who need them. For families, this often means long waitlists, trying to find other care options, and navigating difficult choices and balancing acts until care is available; for example, cutting back on or ending employment to provide care at home. Provider shortages can also present issues for states, such as making it harder to ensure child safety, increasing unemployment rates, and putting pressure on other safety net programs as families seek help making ends meet.
In early 2024, over half (53%) of child care centers reported a staffing shortage. As one Center Director notes, “There is a demand in my area for care, but we can’t enroll more students without more teachers! It is a vicious cycle.”
To put it simply, states and families need more child care providers. And while expanding the provider ecosystem involves many moving pieces and collaborators, it starts with making small but impactful changes that improve the provider experience and remove barriers to provider growth.
With this in mind, we built an integrated Child Care Exchange (CCX) solution with a portal specifically for providers, designed to support daily provider work – from enrollment to licensing and more. Our CCX solution recently went live with Wyoming ECARES, where it currently supports almost 600 regulated providers, and this number continues to grow.
How does the Vimo Child Care Exchange solution benefit providers?
Our Child Care Exchange solution enhances the provider experience with a comprehensive suite of tools – all configurable to state-specific needs and available in one place. Below, we provide an overview of these tools and their benefits.
- Built-in marketing tools make it easier to promote programs.
With our CCX solution, every provider has access to a detailed provider page that can be used to share information and photos with potential enrollees in an efficient, accessible manner. Our solution also provides equitable access to program display, so families see the providers most relevant to their needs, regardless of provider size. These features may be especially useful for smaller agencies with fewer marketing resources - Streamlined enrollment management tools save providers time and effort.
Our platform allows families to view and compare all available providers in one place and filter options based on personal needs and schedules. This makes it easier for families to choose a provider that works for them, while requiring less back and forth between families and providers. Once an enrollment request is received, providers can send an electronic enrollment offer to the family. If the family approves the offer (and is eligible for subsidies), an authorization is created to apply subsidies for the child(ren).The platform also works as a child care search and selection resource for families who aren’t seeking subsidies. This allows private pay families to research providers that meet their needs as well. - Comprehensive reporting tools facilitate faster state subsidy payments.
Providers can track enrollments for their subsidized families, track attendance, and submit for payment to the state through our platform, eliminating the need for paper forms and manual data entry. As a result, subsidy payments are processed faster – typically within a week of submission instead of the usual month or more. - Integrated training and licensing tools monitor and improve compliance.
Our licensing module supports and streamlines the entire provider licensing process: from simple application submission to tracking inspections and compliance to managing staff background checks and learning. This module provides automated reminders for renewals and other important information pertaining to provider status and can easily be tailored to meet state-specific needs. - Data visibility and communication tools enhance decision-making and operations.
Our solution empowers providers with real-time access to important data in one central location, making it easier to compile information for required reporting. This includes background checks for new staff, incident reports, payment statements, and, when integrated, child safety and violation information. Communication tools, system-generated notifications and alerts, and an integrated ticketing system make it easy for providers to stay informed, communicate about licensing and enrollment, and request assistance.
How do providers get connected with our Child Care Exchange solution?
Spoilers: once a state has implemented our Child Care Exchange solution, getting providers connected is easy. Here’s how it’s done:
- Regulated providers are migrated during solution implementation. All regulated providers (those currently licensed or with data available in a state’s legacy licensing system) are automatically migrated into the CCX system during implementation. Migrated providers then receive a notice inviting them to activate their accounts. To prevent providers from needing to re-enter information, all available data is imported and pre-populated into the CCX.
- Providers who are not currently licensed or in their state’s system but would like to be can go to the CCX site to create an account. They can then submit their license application and upload their required documents – all in one streamlined process.
- Marketing and outreach help providers get informed and connected. Our change agents, who have extensive knowledge of both child care licensing requirements and our CCX solution, will work with states to make sure providers know about the benefits available through our CCX and how to access them. In Wyoming, for example, our child care consultants have led both in-person and online trainings for providers, and our team has been working with the State’s Communications Director to ensure accurate information is shared with providers on a consistent basis.
“This highly anticipated system supports families and providers in their early care and education journey.” – Roxanne O’Connor, Support Services Senior Administrator, Wyoming Department of Family Services
Empowering Providers, Strengthening Child Care
At the end of the day, families and states need more child care providers, but for this to happen, providers need more support. By offering providers tools that assist in their day-to-day operations – such as managing enrollments and payments for subsidized children, handling licensing renewals and inspections, and meeting staff training requirements – CCX not only enhances the provider experience but also reduces systemic barriers to growth. Over time, we believe this support will help strengthen the provider ecosystem and play an important role in addressing the ongoing provider shortage.
If you’re a state leader or agency interested in building a stronger provider network, let’s start a conversation about how the Vimo CCX can help. Reach out to our change agents here.
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